Hey, y'all! It's announcement day! This announcement comes a few days earlier than originally anticipated because I've never been able to keep a good secret (see: all the hints!).
I am extremely excited to announce that the February 2022 Album of the Month is:
The Faint - Wet From Birth (2004)
Congrats to @Jan for guessing the correct album first! A free copy of this album has your name on it. More on that later...
I suppose now's the time I am supposed to explain why I picked this record. I'll give it a shot - here we go!
I first heard this album in 2004 when I was a junior in High School. I'm not entirely sure how I discovered the band, but I am guessing I found them on what.cd (if you know, you know). High school was a transitional time for my musical tastes. I grew up with a non-musical family (my grandma played ukulele!). My parents listened to The B-52's, Jimmy Buffett, The Doors and Jim Croce. I was not overly exposed to music growing up aside from what was playing in my parent's car, or what was in the 6-CD changer in our house in Mexico. Usually, it was a soundtrack of some sort. Anyways! In 2000, I got into punk rock (NOFX, Rancid, Warped Tour bands). In 2001, I got into Weezer. In 2002, I started smoking weed and got into Sublime/Bob Marley/Pink Floyd/Beatles. This is when I picked up the bass guitar which has been my first love ever since. This would eventually lead me to a career in music, a degree in it, and change my life forever. From 2003 on, I was playing in bands and my musical horizon was ever expanding. There was a whole new world of music to be discovered, and I LOVED IT. Around this time, I really started getting into bands like The Strokes, Hot Hot Heat, The White Stripes, Arcade Fire, Muse, Franz Ferdinand, RHCP, etc. The pulsating and driving drum beats mixed with difference forms of dance styles spoke to me.
Enter The Faint.
I'm pretty sure the first Faint album I listened to was
Blank Wave Arcade and Danse Macabre. My memories from then are good, but jumbled. I remember listening to
"Casual Sex" thinking the synthesizer sequence 3/4 way through was the greatest thing I'd ever heard. I remember my friend Travis taking ecstasy on prom night, and it kicked in during the octave-synth-pulse of "Glass Danse". The music was fun, upbeat, unique - and unlike other styles I had listened to. There were dark overtones. There were sexual overtones. It was an interesting singing style. The lyrics were.. weird. But, I felt the music. I was the world’s biggest stoner in high school, and I liked nothing more than getting blitzed and throwing these albums on 11.
I also can't remember the first time I heard
Wet From Birth, but I assume it was around the release date. The album floored me.
"There's violins in this shit?"
"What the hell is making that sound? Is that a guitar or a synth"
"What the fuck is he singing about here? An erection?"
"Holy shit, how do I replicate that bass fuzz?"
"This is a great dance party album"
"I'm so high right now, and this music is perfect"
"If I tell my friends about this band, are they going to think I am crazy or love it?"
This album pushes all of the right musical buttons for me. I feel like I am doing it a disservice by trying to articulate in words why I love it. I imagine everyone has albums they love JUST BECAUSE. Ever listen to an album and feel like it's made for you? I've felt like that for awhile with this one.
I no longer smoke weed (or do anything, 13+ years) but this album still transforms me into a euphoric place when I listen to it. I feel like I'm in a dark nightclub (pre-COVID, of course) where everyone is just feeling it. No worries in the world. Dancing their fucking asses off. Dancing with each other. Sweating. Making out. Whatever. The band is on stage, just rockin' out and vibing off the crowd. I'm at this concert when I listen to
Wet From Birth.
If you've made it this far, you're probably/hopefully intrigued by the album. I'd like you to listen to it. Here's my suggestions for how to listen to it.
1) You should listen to this album when you're in an energetic mood. If you're about to go to sleep, I'd pass on it and revisit.
2) You should play this loud. Volume doesn't have to be 11, but it should be 9+.
3) If you indulge, you should listen to this album super stoned. I'm not advocating, necessarily, but it's how I first heard it. If you don't, no worries!
4) Try to listen to this with the lights down low, or in a more ambient atmosphere. Try to join me in the club I described above.
Thank you,
@Needles & Grooves for giving me the opportunity to share this album with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Now - some extra fun and exciting stuff.
Todd Fink, lead singer of The Faint, has graciously agreed to do a Q&A with Needles & Grooves. I do not know exactly what this will look like yet, but I am working on details. I am unsure if it will be typed, recorded, or via ZOOM. I am very excited for this, and super grateful to him for being interested in doing this. There will be a separate thread regarding this sometime in the coming days/week.
Saddle Creek Records has created a special coupon code for N&G members to purchase this album on their website for 20% off. Just type in "NEEDLES" at checkout, and voila!
As always, I'm sure I forgot a million things and thus this is perhaps a starting point for the announcement and fun to come. Thank you for reading.. now go rock out to this!
xoxo,
Scott
P.S. I will dissect the hints in my next post. There might be a few giveaways.
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